Ethereum Economic Zone debuts at EthCC with plan to knit L2s into one seamless network

CANNES, March 30 — A new Ethereum effort unveiled at the EthCC conference aims to curb growing fragmentation across the ecosystem. Developers from Gnosis, Zisk and the Ethereum Foundation introduced the Ethereum Economic Zone (EEZ), a framework designed to make multiple layer2 networks operate as a unified environment for users and builders. Ethereum has leaned on layer2 rollups for years to boost capacity, but many of those networks now function as separate silos. Users often rely on bridges to move assets across chains, a process that can be slow, expensive and exposed to security risks. Developers also end up rebuilding similar tooling on each chain. Gnosis cofounder Friederike Ernst said every new L2 adds another silo, complicating efforts to route value back to Ethereum mainnet. EEZ proposes crosschain interactions without bridges, enabling instant transactions and application behavior across networks. A core element is synchronous smart contract execution across rollups, allowing a single transaction to span multiple chains. The initiative also targets shared liquidity, with funds moving freely between networks to reduce fragmentation. ETH would remain the primary token for fees across the system. The announcement lands amid debate over Ethereum's scaling path. Vitalik Buterin has recently raised concerns about fragmentation and centralized components in parts of the current layer2 approach. More than 20 active layer2 networks now secure nearly $40 billion in value, with liquidity and activity dispersed across platforms such as Arbitrum, Base and Optimism. EEZ technical details and benchmarks are expected in the coming weeks.